Why Are Parramatta, Australian Rugby League Team, Called The Eels?

Those who love rugby and regularly watch rugby tournaments know the Parramatta Eels team. This is one of the top Australian teams. However, many people wonder about their name because it is quite strange. Let's explore Parramatta Eels' name, logo, and colors.

The Meaning Of The Logo And Symbolism Of Parramatta Eels

Parramatta Eels' Logo

Given that Parramatta was founded in 1946, it shouldn't come as a surprise that it didn't have an official moniker, mascot, or logo at first. Before the 1980s, it was uncommon for Australian rugby league teams to receive all of these as soon as they were founded.

One of the Australian National Rugby League clubs, Parramatta Eels, was founded in the middle of 1940 under the name Parramatta. The club typically lines up in the middle of the tournament bracket and cannot be referred to as the best or most well-liked Australian rugby team. Despite being one of the most striking, the Parramatta Eels' visual identity.

Parramatta Eels' logo is the eel. The team's mascots, Sparky and Sparkles, are two enormous blue and yellow eels that attend every game, and their striking blue and yellow uniform also serve to identify the club.

Why Are Parramatta Called The Eels?

A Sydney rugby league journalist named Peter Frilingos proposed changing the club's name to the "Eels" in the middle of the 1960s. The name of the Parramatta, which was anglicized from the Aboriginal dialect "Barramattagal," which means "place where the Eels dwell," provided the foundation for this argument. Following this, the team began going by the nickname "The Eels," which was later made official in the late 1970s.

As a result, an eel-themed crest was adopted by the club in 1980. Despite numerous jersey design changes, this crest persisted until a new eel logo was introduced in 2000. The club mascot depicted on the crest was changed back to an illustration of an eel in 2004, which was also used on the previous crest.

Two different crests based on the crest of Parramatta City have also been used by Parramatta. The first was a meticulous depiction of a typical scene on the Parramatta River's foreshore during the early days of European settlement. It appears to be a tribute to the Barramattagal tribe, who was the District's first resident. A woman in a canoe is watching as a male Aboriginal prepares to spear a fish in the original crest's foreground. The Parramatta River's tree-lined banks can be seen in the background, along with a paddle steamer. The club utilized this crest until the 1970s, at which point a more stylized version that featured just the hunter and the club's name on a scroll came into use. The Parramatta District Junior Rugby League Football Club was still using this crest in 2006.

Why Are Their Signature Colors Blue And Gold?

Parramatta Eels' Colours

Emerald green and white were the colors that were first proposed by the Parramatta District Club to the New South Wales Rugby League in 1936 because they were those of the Western Districts President's Cup team and the Western Suburbs Rugby Union Club.

However, the proposed colors for the new District side were blue and gold when the proposal for a Parramatta club was then presented to the NSWRL in 1946. According to rumors, the navy blue, sky blue, and gold hues chosen for this project were inspired by Arthur Phillip High School. The Parramatta District Rugby Union club also adopted these colors in 1936. The Parramatta City Council's use of blue and golden-orange color in Parramatta Eels' crest served as further inspiration. The blue and gold hues have changed several times over the course of the club's history, but the overall color scheme has remained constant.

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